The present invention relates generally to vehicles and, in particular, to a multimedia entertainment unit for use in a vehicle.
As cars have been continuously updated to include new and useful features for the enjoyment and/or utility of a driver and his or her passengers, devices generally found in the home have made their way into cars as optional features. Such features include the television, the video cassette player (VCP), the compact disk (CD) player, and the digital video disk (DVD) player. These features undoubtably provide enjoyment and/or utility to the driver and/or passengers of a vehicle. For example, children may become occupied by, for example, watching a movie and, thus, may leave the driver better able to concentrate on operating the vehicle. Moreover, passengers in a vehicle undertaking a long journey may better pass the time by viewing a movie. However, it has generally been the case that only one particular type of media can be played at a given time in a given vehicle. For example, only one movie may be played at a given time in a given vehicle, and such playback is to the exclusion of any other media sources such as, e.g., the radio. This is true for a variety of reasons. One such reason is that the movie playing device (e.g., VCP and DVD player) is typically coupled to the existing speaker system of the vehicle, thus allowing only one media source to be played back through the speakers at any given time. Another such reason is that it is difficult for a person to follow the play back of a particular audio media source when another audio media source is simultaneously being played back.
Thus, if the occupants of the vehicle have differing tastes with respect to, for example, movies and/or music, then not all of the passengers will be satisfied by what is audibly and/or visibly reproduced at any given time. Accordingly, there is a need for a multimedia entertainment unit for a vehicle which allows for a plurality of passengers to each watch and/or listen to a different media.
The problems stated above, as well as other related problems of the prior art, are solved by the present invention, a multimedia entertainment unit for a vehicle.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an entertainment unit for a vehicle. The unit includes an assembly housing adapted to mount against an interior surface (preferably the roof) of the vehicle. A bus is adapted to couple at least one of video and audio signals from each of a plurality of input devices. At least one display device, houseable in the assembly and operatively coupled to the bus, is adapted to reproduce the video signals. At least one wireless transmitter operatively coupled to the bus, is adapted to wirelessly and simultaneously transmit a plurality of audio programs to a plurality of wireless headphone sets.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the wireless signals are at least one of radio frequency and infrared signals.
According to a third aspect of the invention, the plurality of input devices include at least one of a television tuner, a video cassette player (VCP), a compact disk (CD) player, a digital video disk (DVD) player, an AM/FM radio, and a video game player.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the plurality of input devices include an external audio/video signal processor adapted to input at least one of the audio signals and the video signals from an external source.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the external source is a portable media device.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the unit further includes signal processing facilities adapted to perform at least one of signal processing and signal conversion, with respect to at least one of the audio signals and the video signals.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the signal processing facilities are adapted to perform at least one of digital signal processing, encoding, decoding, encrypting, decrypting, compressing, decompressing, analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), and error correction.
According to an eighth aspect of the invention, the at least one display device is mounted in the entertainment unit in one of a non-fixed configuration and a fixed configuration.
According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the at least one display device employs one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), light emitting diodes (LEDs), and a gas plasma.
According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the liquid crystal display is based upon one of active matrix technology and passive matrix technology.
According to an eleventh aspect of the invention, the at least one display device employs touch screen technology.
According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, the at least one display device includes one of picture-in-picture and split screen capability.
According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, the at least one wireless transmitter includes at least one multiplexor adapted to select a specific input device whose audio output is to be wirelessly transmitted to a given one of the plurality of wireless headphone sets.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the invention, the at least one wireless transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit the plurality of audio programs to each of the plurality of wireless headphone sets as a left audio channel and a right audio channel.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the invention, the left audio channel and the right audio channel correspond to different frequencies.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the invention, the at least one wireless transmitter is adapted to wirelessly transmit the plurality of audio programs to each of the plurality of wireless headphone sets as a left audio channel and a right audio channel, each of the channels having a different frequency for each of the plurality of wireless headphone sets.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the invention, the bus comprises a video bus and an audio bus.
According to an eighteenth aspect of the invention, the video bus is coupled to the display device and the audio bus is coupled to the at least one wireless transmitter.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the invention, the at least one wireless transmitter includes an optical transmitting device and at least some of said plurality of wireless headphone sets include a photosensitive device.
According to a twentieth aspect of the invention, the at least one wireless transmitter and at least some of the plurality of wireless headphone sets include an antenna.